U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/212,857, filed Apr. 16, 2009, is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Agricultural combines cut and process crops to extract and clean grain from crop residue. Crop residue produced by this process is typically generated by two sources, and is of two consistencies. One source is the threshing and separating system, which produces a large volume of crop residue that has a larger, heavier consistency, typically including fragments of straw, stalks, stems, cobs (corn), and leaves. The other source is the cleaning system, which in the process of cleaning the harvested grain, produces a much lower volume of much smaller, lighter elements, such as pod and husk fragments, and particulates, commonly referred to as chaff. The larger, heavier crop residue, due to its mass, is typically propelled or conveyed from the threshing system within the combine to a rear opening, where it will be discharged directly downwardly onto the ground or spread. In the former instance, sometimes this crop residue is baled for use as ground cover, biomass, livestock bedding or other purposes. One approach for baling crop residue has been to do so using a baler towed by the combine. In this regard, the baler can be configured to pick up the crop residue from the ground, or conveyor apparatus can be provided between the combine and the towed baler to convey the crop to the baler above the ground. Reference in the latter regard, Shields, U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2007/0191081, published Aug. 16, 2007. Reference also, Hirose, Japanese Published Application JP2003180119 A, published Jul. 2, 2003, and Ikeda et al., Japanese Published Application JP2007228943 A, published Sep. 13, 2007, which disclose combine harvesters with roll balers for baling waste straw discharged from the threshing system of the combine, and the latter publication also including apparatus for removing dust from the flow of waste straw to the baler.
An observed shortcoming of use of a towed baler is that it requires the combine to have adequate capability to tow the baler, and to stop the baler, especially when on a slope. Additionally, either structure on the combine for depositing the straw or other crop residue on the ground, and apparatus on the baler to then pick up the residue, or structure connecting the combine and the baler for transferring or conveying the residue over the ground to the baler, must be provided, all of which adds complexity, cost and weight. Residue collected from the ground may also include substantial contaminants, e.g., dust and dirt, which is undesired for some end user applications such as biomass and the like. As another possible shortcoming, because the baler is towed, there is no ability to tow another vehicle, such as a bale wagon, bail accumulator or other bale receiver.
An observed shortcoming of the known combines with roll or round balers is a lack of capability for incorporating chaff into the bales, and for handling dust generated from the chaff in addition to that from the straw, which can be substantial. As a result in the former regard, a chaff spreader will typically be provided for spreading the chaff over the field, otherwise the chaff will be deposited unevenly. It is also observed in regard to the referenced on-board balers that the waste straw discharged from the threshing system is not maintained in a compressed or compacted state en route to the baler, such that the waste straw must be completely re-compacted in the baler.
Reference also Innes, U.S. Pat. No. 2,030,031, issued Feb. 4, 1936, which discloses an early on-board baler which mounted to the rear of a combine for receiving the plant stalks, straw and chaff discharged therefrom. However, again, the straw, stalks, etc., are conveyed and discharged to the baler in a non-compressed state, and require complex conveying apparatus, e.g., straw walkers extending to the rear of the combine, and an additional conveyor as illustrated, for this purpose.
Thus, what is sought is a combine harvester that overcomes at least one of the problems, shortcomings and disadvantages set forth above.